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Sunday, November 15, 2009
Ind. Gov't - Access to Power: How lobbyists buy legislators' time and attention
Many Indiana papers today have stories and editorials on lobbying and legislative eithics, including:
- Fort Wayne Journal Gazette - "Money, access and power," "‘Lobbying’ shouldn’t be considered a dirty word."
- Evansville Courier & Press - "Access to Power." The Courier & Press is also one of the papers that publishes a "preemptive" letter from House Speaker Patrick Bauer that begins:
I know it is tempting to portray the Indiana General Assembly as having a deaf ear toward ethical behavior, but I find such opinions do not match the commitment that the men and women in the Indiana House and Senate have toward meeting the public's trust.
When confronted with violations of that trust, it has been my experience that lawmakers have moved quickly to respond to public concerns.
- NWI Times - "Bauer's reforms fall short" that begins:
Efforts to push legislative ethics reform through the Indiana General Assembly have long faced an insurmountable obstacle in the person of House Speaker Pat Bauer.
The South Bend Democrat, a fixture in the House for nearly 40 years, has the power to kill almost any bill that doesn't meet his approval. Until recently, that meant doom for proposals to crack down on the cozy relationships lobbyists have built with lawmakers.
In October, however, Bauer unexpectedly announced his own reform package, including a one-year waiting period before legislators could become lobbyists.
Bauer announced his plan five days after members of The Indianapolis Star Editorial Board informed the Speaker's aides that 23 Indiana newspapers were preparing to launch an ethics reform campaign.
The Speaker is an important and welcome ally in the fight to reduce lobbyists' access to power in the Statehouse. His plan, however, falls short on several key fronts.
- Indianapolis Star - "Legislators feast on perks." A couple quotes:
Lobbying firms employ one other valuable tool to wield influence -- the potential for a legislator to accept a six-figure job as a lobbyist.
In Indiana, unlike in many other states, legislators can leave public office and start work immediately as paid lobbyists. More than 30 former legislators, including high-profile leaders such as former House Speaker Paul Mannweiler and former Senate Finance Committee Chairman Larry Borst, have switched from making laws inside the chambers to shaping them in the Statehouse hallways. In some cases, legislators have lined up jobs as lobbyists while still voting on bills that affect their future employer's interests.
Many of the lawmakers-turned-lobbyists receive generous legislative pensions and taxpayer-subsidized health care.
Lobbyists' influence in the Statehouse is on the rise, with their numbers and the amount of money they spend at record highs. More than 750 individuals and 795 organizations and law firms are registered as lobbyists in Indiana. In the most recent annual reporting period, which ended April 30, lobbyists spent more than $25.8 million trying to shape Indiana's laws. The small state agency, the Indiana Lobby Registration Commission, charged with tracking their operations is clearly overmatched. The commission, a creation of the General Assembly, employs only one part-time administrator.
Why should any of this matter to ordinary Hoosiers? Because the array of expensive gifts helps lobbyists secure easy access to legislators -- access most members of the public will never enjoy. The cozy relationships built over dinners, golf trips and Colts games mean legislators view lobbyists more as friends than influence peddlers. And although it's easy for Fortune 500 companies and groups such as the National Rifle Association to shower lawmakers with expensive gifts, it's much harder for small business owners and organizations representing the poor and disabled to compete for legislators' attention.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on November 15, 2009 10:10 AM
Posted to Indiana Government | Legislative Benefits